My childhood friend is in her mature, sophisticated form again today. - Chapter 46

Six o’clock.

“How many hours did you sleep?”

“That’s enough.” Cheng Ran turned the tablet around to show her. “This person—codename ‘Mirror,’ real name Zhao Heng, forty-one years old, place of origin unknown, educational background unknown. The Stargazers’ internal files only contain his codename and responsibilities—‘Mirror Society Liaison.’”

“The Mirror is a contact person. So he’s not ‘Echo’?”

“It’s possible that the same person is playing both roles. It’s also possible that ‘Echo’ is someone else, and he’s just a subordinate of ‘Echo’.” Cheng Ran flipped through the files. “But his activity patterns highly overlap with ‘Echo’. He appears in that office building every Friday afternoon, using the same IP range. If he is ‘Echo’, then our target is the same person. If not, then they are partners, working in the same location.”

Lin Jiqiu picked up the now-cold cup of tea from the coffee table and took a sip; it tasted very astringent. “Zhao Heng. Can you find out where he lives?”

“Yes. According to the car rental records and cell phone signal location, he lives in a community in the east of the city. The address left by the car rental company is fake, but the location of the cell phone signal base station matches his car usage trajectory.” Cheng Ran pulled up a map with several red dots marked on it. “He leaves home every Friday, drives to that office building, and leaves around 3 p.m. Sometimes he goes straight home, and sometimes he goes to another place.”

“Where?”

“It’s a club in the suburbs called ‘Jingyuan.’ On the surface, it’s a private club, members-only, and not open to the public. Zhao Heng goes there about 50% of the time after leaving his office building every Friday afternoon.”

Lin Jiqiu looked at the red dot marked “Jingyuan” on the map. “What’s there?”

“I don’t know. I can’t find it. The registration information for ‘Jingyuan’ is empty. There is no legal representative, no business scope, and only a post office box.”

That might be the meeting place of the ‘Mirror Society’.

“Possibly. It could also be a stronghold of the ‘source’.”

Lin Jiqiu leaned back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. “Zhao Heng—does he know we’re investigating him?”

“He probably doesn’t know. He didn’t take any counter-surveillance measures; his phone wasn’t turned off, he didn’t change cars, and he didn’t change routes. It doesn’t seem like he’s hiding from anyone.”

“Then I’ll go to ‘Jingyuan’ next week.”

Cheng Ran looked at her. “Are you alone?”

“You come with me. You stay outside and provide backup.”

Cheng Ran was silent for a few seconds. “Okay.”

Ah You came out of the kitchen carrying two bowls of wontons. He put the bowls on the coffee table, glanced at the photo, didn’t ask any questions, and turned back to get chopsticks and a spoon.

“Ah You.”

“Um?”

Have you seen this person before?

Ah You walked over and looked at the photo. “No. Who is he?”

“The ‘Mirror Society’ members. They might be one of the murderers who killed my father.”

Ah You’s hand paused on the chopsticks for a moment, then continued setting the table. “Boss, what are you planning to do?”

“Find him. Ask him what happened.”

Ayou didn’t ask any more questions and turned back to the kitchen. Lin Jiqiu picked up the wonton bowl and took a sip of the soup; it was very flavorful, Ayou’s cooking skills were getting better and better. But she didn’t have much of an appetite and put the wontons down after eating two. Cheng Ran didn’t eat much either; he pushed his bowl aside and continued watching his tablet.

“Cheng Ran”.

“Um.”

“Have you seen Zhao Heng before when you were with the Stargazers?”

“I met him once. In the telescope’s office. He didn’t say anything, he just sat there and listened to the telescope talking to other people. I didn’t know who he was at the time, but I found out his photo and code name later when I looked up information.”

What is the relationship between the telescope and Zhao Heng?

“Superior-subordinate relationship. Telescope is the field operations supervisor, and Zhao Heng is the liaison for Telescope. Zhao Heng reports to Telescope, and Telescope reports to the ‘source’.”

Lin Jiqiu tapped his fingers lightly on his knee. “So the telescope knows who the ‘source’ is.”

“I know. But he won’t say.”

Where is Zhao Heng?

“Zhao Heng probably knows as well. He is a core member of the Mirror Society and has access to more information than ordinary contacts.”

Lin Jiqiu stood up and walked to the window. The flower shop across the street was open, and the proprietress was moving flowerpots. The sunlight was bright, and the water droplets on the petals glistened. She thought of her father—if he had been able to find the “source” back then, what would he have done? Perhaps, like her, he would have found that person and asked him directly. Or perhaps not; he might have already tried.

“Chengran, I won’t go into ‘Jingyuan’ next week.”

Cheng Ran looked at her. “You want to wait outside?”

“Okay. When Zhao Heng comes out, follow him. See where he goes and who he meets.”

“That could take a long time.”

“We can afford to wait.”

Ah You came out of the kitchen, carrying two cups of tea, and placed them on the coffee table. He glanced at Lin Jiqiu, then at Cheng Ran, and said nothing before turning back to tidy up the kitchen. Ah Zuo walked out from behind the counter, holding a file in his hand.

“Boss, there’s new information about Chen Weisong’s recent situation that you asked me to check before.”

Lin Jiqiu turned around. “What news?”

“He moved last week. He didn’t move voluntarily; someone picked him up.” A-Zuo flipped through the file. “I contacted the property management of the community, and they said two people came, claiming to be relatives of Chen Weisong, and took him away. Chen Weisong didn’t resist or ask for help. Before leaving, he returned the apartment and completed the formalities.”

“relative?”

“The identities of those two people cannot be found. But the property description says one is tall, thin, and wears glasses. The other is of medium build and wears a dark jacket.”

Lin Jiqiu’s fingers tightened slightly. Tall, thin, wearing glasses—or binoculars. Medium build, wearing a dark jacket—it could be Zhao Heng.

“Did they take Chen Weisong away to protect him or to control him?”

A-Zuo thought for a moment. “I’m not sure. But Chen Weisong didn’t struggle when he left, nor did he leave any distress signal. It could have been voluntary, or it could have been coerced.”

“Have you been able to find out where they went?”

“We can’t find it. The car disappeared after leaving the city.”

Lin Jiqiu remained silent for a few seconds. Chen Weisong had been taken away; perhaps he would never see him again.

“Cheng Ran”.

“exist.”

Do you think Chen Weisong is still alive?

Cheng Ran looked at her. “Alive. If they wanted to kill him, they wouldn’t have taken him away. It would be easier and less likely to leave traces if they did it in the neighborhood. Taking him away means they need him. Maybe for questioning, maybe for protection.”

“Protect?”

“He knows too much. If he gets caught by someone else, he might leak even more information.”

Lin Jiqiu walked back to the sofa and sat down, picking up her teacup and taking a sip. The tea was a little hot, so she blew on it and took another sip. “Then Chen Weisong is safe for now.”

“possible.”

A-Zuo closed the file and went back behind the counter. A-You came out of the kitchen to wipe the table. A-Hua jumped down from the windowsill, rubbed against Lin Jiqiu’s feet, and then jumped onto the sofa and curled up next to her. Lin Jiqiu reached out and scratched A-Hua’s chin.

“Boss, I’ll go with you to ‘Jingyuan’ next week,” Ayou suddenly said.

“No need. You stay at home.”

“But–“

“Ah You,” Lin Jiqiu said calmly, “stay at home. Keep an eye on Ah Hua and the others.”

Ah You opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he just nodded.

For the next week, Lin Jiqiu discussed Zhao Heng’s whereabouts with Cheng Ran almost every day. Cheng Ran pulled up a map of Zhao Heng’s activities over the past three months, marking every place he had been. Most of the locations were his home, office building, Jingyuan, and a few supermarkets and gas stations. The route was very fixed, like a wound-up clock.

“He’s very disciplined,” Lin Jiqiu said, looking at the map.

“Hmm. It’s so regular, it’s like they’re deliberately following us.”

You mean he might be fishing?

“Maybe. Or maybe it’s just a habit.”

Lin Jiqiu thought for a moment. “Whether it’s fishing or not, I’ll go check it out next week.”

On Friday, Lin Jiqiu and Cheng Ran set off. A Zuo drove, Lin Jiqiu sat in the passenger seat, and Cheng Ran sat in the back. This time they weren’t going to that southern coastal city—Jingyuan was in another direction, about a two-hour drive from the office. The car drove north on the highway, with rolling hills and farmland on both sides.

“Chengran, are there any high points near Jingyuan?”

“Yes. There is a small hill on the east side, about 300 meters away from Jingyuan. It has a wide view and you can see the entrance and back door of the clubhouse.”

“Then let’s go there.”

A-Zuo drove the car to the foot of the hill. Lin Jiqiu and Cheng Ran got out, while A-Zuo stayed in the car. The two of them climbed up the mountain path. The mountain wasn’t high, and the path wasn’t steep, but Lin Jiqiu was wearing sneakers, so it wasn’t too difficult for her. Cheng Ran followed behind, her breathing steady. After more than ten minutes, they reached the top of the hill, and the view suddenly opened up. Jingyuan was below, a gray-white building in a Chinese style with upturned eaves, surrounded by a bamboo grove. There was an iron gate at the entrance, closed, and two people in black uniforms stood at the door.

“I can see the entrance.” Lin Jiqiu took out his binoculars to observe. “Two security guards. They have walkie-talkies on their waists, and possibly weapons.”

Cheng Ran looked at the wall surrounding Jingyuan through binoculars. “The wall is about two and a half meters high, with barbed wire on top. It won’t be easy to climb over. There are also security guards at the back gate.”

“Then wait outside.”

The two found a flat rock to sit on. Lin Jiqiu took two bottles of water out of his backpack, handed one to Cheng Ran, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip. The sun was shining brightly, and a breeze blew from the other side of the hill, carrying the scent of grass and trees.

“Cheng Ran”.

“Um.”

“Have you been to a place like this before when you were with Stargazer?”

“I’ve been here before. But not to this kind of Chinese-style clubhouse. It’s been to office buildings, laboratories, and sometimes hotel rooms. Stargazers don’t have a fixed meeting place; they always rent it temporarily.”

“Zhao Heng’s ‘Jingyuan’ is a fixed location.”

“So this place is probably the Mirror Society’s stronghold, not the Stargazers’.”

Lin Jiqiu put down his binoculars and looked at the gray-white building. “Mirror Society—Rejuvenation Growth Camp, Mingyuan Consulting, Xingyuan Technology, and that underwater facility. All branches point to the same center. Zhao Heng is one of the center’s managers.”

“It might not be one of them, it might be the only one.”

The two waited for nearly two hours. At 3 PM, a black SUV drove up from a distance and stopped at the entrance of Jingyuan. The security guard stepped forward to verify their identities and then opened the iron gate. The SUV drove inside.

Lin Jiqiu’s binoculars had been following the car. “Zhao Heng’s car. The last two digits match.”

Cheng Ran opened his tablet and brought up the tracking app. “His cell phone signal is also in there. Just like last week, he entered at 3:03.”

“He comes every Friday, how long does he stay?”

“It varies. Sometimes it takes an hour, sometimes three hours.”

Lin Jiqiu put down his binoculars and leaned against a rock. “Then let’s continue waiting.”

Nearly two more hours passed. Around 5 PM, the black SUV drove out of Jingyuan. Lin Jiqiu raised his binoculars. “It’s out. He’s the only one in the car.”

“Go ahead?”

“Follow him. See where he goes.”

The two men descended the mountain. A-Zuo started the car and drove off the mountainside, following a black SUV at a distance. The SUV drove slowly, heading towards the city along the highway. A-Zuo maintained a distance of about two hundred meters, neither too close nor too far. After about twenty minutes, the SUV turned onto a side road lined with old residential buildings on both sides.

“He’s probably going home.” Cheng Ran looked at the tablet. “The location of the cell phone signal is the same as the address he was at last time.”

The SUV stopped in front of a residential building. Zhao Heng got out, picked up the black briefcase, and went into the building. Lin Jiqiu watched him disappear through the car window at the entrance of the building.

“This is it.”

Ah Zuo parked his car across the street.

“Boss, shall we go up?”

“We’re not going up. Today is just for confirmation.”

Lin Jiqiu leaned back in her chair, looking at the residential building. Six stories high, no elevator, the exterior painted a beige color, some parts peeling off. It looked like any other old residential complex.

“Cheng Ran, does Zhao Heng live alone?”

“The information doesn’t show that he has any family members. The tenant information only shows his name.”

“His life is very simple.”

“Hmm. It’s abnormally simple.”

Lin Jiqiu was silent for a few seconds. “Perhaps he doesn’t need to be complicated. He’s just an executor, he doesn’t need to think, he doesn’t need to choose, he only needs to obey.”

“To whom shall we obey?”

“‘source’.”

Cheng Ran didn’t reply. A Zuo started the car and drove towards the office. Lin Jiqiu looked out the window; it was getting dark, and the streetlights were coming on one by one.

It was completely dark when they got back to the office. Ah-you was waiting at the entrance and came to greet them when the car stopped.

“You’re back?”

“Hmm.” Lin Jiqiu got out of the car. “Is there anything to eat?”

Yes. Sweet and sour pork ribs, and soup.

Lin Jiqiu changed her shoes and sat down on the sofa. Ayou went to heat up the food. Cheng Ran sat down opposite her and placed the tablet on the coffee table.

“We’ve found out Zhao Heng’s address, workplace, and activity patterns. Next, we need to find a way to get close to him.”

How do we get close?

“Aim for a chance encounter at his usual supermarket or gas station, and then strike up a conversation.”

Lin Jiqiu thought for a moment. “He’s not an ordinary person. He’s a core member of the Mirror Society. He would be wary if an ordinary person encountered him.”

“Then let’s do it in an unconventional way.”

Lin Jiqiu looked at him. “What do you mean?”

“Use your ability. Transform into someone else’s appearance and approach him. He won’t recognize you.”

Lin Jiqiu tapped his fingers lightly twice on his knee. “Become who?”

“Chen Weisong”.

The room fell silent for a moment.

“Chen Weisong has been taken away by him. How would he react if Chen Weisong suddenly appeared in front of him?”

“They’ll be surprised. They’ll ask, ‘What are you doing here?’ They’ll contact the telescope.”

“Then what?”

“Then we knew whether Chen Weisong was being controlled or protected by them.”

Lin Jiqiu remained silent for a long time. Ayou came out with the heated food and placed it on the coffee table: sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and tomato and egg drop soup, all still steaming.

“Boss, let’s eat first.”

Lin Jiqiu picked up her chopsticks and took a piece of pork rib. It was delicious. But when she swallowed it, her throat felt a little tight.

“Cheng Ran”.

“Um.”

“This plan is risky. What if Zhao Heng recognizes that I’m not Chen Weisong—”

“He won’t recognize you. No one can recognize your shapeshifting ability.”

Lin Jiqiu put down her chopsticks and looked at the rice in her bowl. “When?”

“next week.”

She nodded and picked up the bowl.